Time moves on

 As of today, I am still negative for Covid.

Bern coughs a lot but feels better than yesterday.

And time moves on.

Hershel Walker, just like Dr. Oz, was criticized for not really living in the state where he is running for Senate.

When will Republicans regain their sanity?

And time moves on.

It rained hard and long today in CT.

We are saturated to the bone.

And time moves on.

Hopefully the rail strike can be avoided by acts on Congress.

Though I am a big supporter of unions.

And time moves on.

I will miss church this Sunday and next because of precautions about the virus.

And I will miss being there and the folks there and the music there.

But time moves on....

Bad news today

 Bern tested positive today for the virus.

I'll get tested tomorrow though I feel fine.

I canceled my celebration on Sunday and I believe my friend, Michael, who used to work with me at St. John's, will do the service.

I'll cancel next week's Wed. and Steve is scheduled to lead morning prayer the next Sunday, so by then I'll be fine to return to church.

Bad times.

Keep Bern and I and Eleanor and Tim and Mimi in your prayers.

Prayers may not stop Covid, but they can lessen it's effects.

Be well and stay well, my friends.

And stay away from me for a while.

NEGATIVE!!!!

 My COVID test came back negative!

I still canceled my Wednesday class since the room we hold it in makes social distancing impossible.

And I will get tested again before Sunday.

But I am relieved....

Waiting to know

 Though Advent is all about "waiting"--waiting is a pain in the ass.

We learned Saturday afternoon, when Mimi called, that Eleanor tested positive for Covid when they got home from their visit here.

Since they came on Wednesday afternoon it's tomorrow afternoon that I can test. (You wait 5 days after exposure.)

I did church today but sat in the chancel alone--the crucifer and chalice bearer sat in the first row. I blessed the bread and wine before the service without touching it with the Junior Warden as my witness.

In the Episcopal Church you cannot consecrate without a witness.

I wore a mask when I wasn't talking and sometimes when I was and left before the postlude so people wouldn't be near me.

All that was what the Wardens and I came up with as a plan.

A layperson distributed the bread and another the wine.

And I'm anxious, waiting until tomorrow to test myself.

Keep me in you hearts and hope the test is negative.

I sure do....

This week's sermon

 

Advent I 2022

 

                   “Hello Darkness, my old friend,

                   I’ve come to talk with you again.

                   Because a vision softly creeping,

                   left its seeds while I was sleeping,

                   and the vision that was planted in my brain

                   still remains—within the sounds of silence.”

                                       --Simon and Garfunkle

 

          If you are of a certain age—oh, like mine, for example—the words of that song may act like a memory magnet. Of course, if you remember the 60’s and 70’s you weren’t really having a good time….

 

          But as I’ve thought about today’s readings and about the beginning of Advent, that song kept appearing and reappearing in my mind and heart.

 

          Advent is a time of “darkness”, a time of “visions”, a time of “sleeping” and a time of “silence”.

          Each day of Advent has less light than the day before. Each day is only a few minutes darker—but by the time Advent is ending the effect is startling. As we wait for the Christchild we are waiting in the darkest time of the year. And Darkness—for all the fear it brings—can be a dear and valuable friend.

 

          Advent is a time chock full of “visions”.  Isaiah, in today’s reading, sees a vision of the new Jerusalem descending to the mountain of the Lord. He sees visions of peace and visions of the end of war. He sees visions of a time of unity among all nations and a time of learning to walk God’s path and not our own—a time of walking in the Light….

          Paul’s vision in Romans is the vision of LOVE replacing the LAW—a vision of compassion and caring for the well being of others taking away the need for rules and regulations. Paul’s vision is one of walking in the Light….

          Then there is Jesus’ “vision” from Matthew’s gospel—a vision of the coming of the Son of Man. It is a vision of sudden judgment and sure distress—and yet, even in that vision, God comes to gather the children at an unexpected time….

 

          Advent is a time of darkness and visions and sleeping.

          The earth is falling asleep. The trees are bare, the flowers are dead, the animals are nesting and the ground is freezing. The air chills us and the moon and stars shine brightly, larger than usual, in the cold sky. It is a time to sleep through the long night and dream of the Light.

         

          Advent is a time of silence. Think about it. The insects are asleep. Many of the birds are gone. Night comes quickly and stays long so many of the sounds of the day go missing early. And, it seems to me at least, the cold, heavy air muffles the sounds that are left. Silence, like a blanket, falls over us during Advent.

          Human beings are not creatures that appreciate silence and darkness. We long for light and sound. Advent tends to make us anxious. No one likes to “wait”—and Advent is all about “waiting”—and most of us fear the dark and fill our lives with noises. So Advent…a time of “waiting” in the darkness and the silence…well, it is problematic for most of us most of the time.

 

          And there is this: it is in darkness that we discover the secret places of our soul and it is in silence that we begin to hear the voice of God. Darkness and silence force us to “be alone”—and in that “loneliness” we discover our deeper selves AND that we are not, ultimately, alone.

          Advent is a time to experience darkness and silence—lean into them, embrace them. And it is not something we do gladly or willingly. It is something we must practice.

 

          Do me a favor—if you would. Close your eyes and keep them closed.

          See how close darkness always is?

          And now—eyes still closed—I’m going to stop talking for a moment….

          See how close silence always is?

 

          We are waiting, we are waiting, in a dark and silent place…we are waiting….

          But in our waiting, as we touch the darkness and the silence, we come to know we are not alone

          Others are waiting with us….We are not alone…without opening your eyes, simply sense the people who are with you…those here and those in your heart….

          And beyond that, there is Another who waits with us…deep, deep in our hearts, God waits with us…in the darkness and the silence…there is God….

          The New Jerusalem is coming….the Son of Man is coming….the Christ child is coming….the Light is coming….

          All our waiting will bring that to pass….

          In the darkness and the silence…..       Amen and Amen    

"Happy Thanksgiving Day"

 "On the fourth Thursday of every November,

There is something we must say,

To everyone near us who sees us or hears us...."

    You know the rest, it's in the title.

    We had a great one with Mimi, Tim, Eleanor and John.

    The meal was great, as always.

    And the company was welcomed and glorious.

    I hope yours was like that as well.

    Be well and stay well, my friends.

How do we stop the hate?

Hate is the devil's tool. And it's all around us today.

The attack on Nancy Pelosi's husband.

The oppression of Black and Latino Americans and even Native Americans.

The Arizona official who spoke out, as a Republican, that the governor's race was fair and accurate, is in hiding from death threats.

And the LBGTQ night club in Colorado that saw 5 people killed and many more wounded by a 22 year old who hates 'their kind'.

Hate is all around us.

Republicans hate Democrats and the Democrats return the favor.

What we need is a UNITED States of America--but hatred divides us into camps.

The Colorado killings especially chills me since I have a 16 year old grandchild who has declared they are non-gendered.

We have to calm down and listen to each other--listen and try to understand that our differences don't make us 'different' enough to hate.

Come on, America, get over it. 

Differences exist.

Live with it.

Even celebrate it.

Let the hate go.

For God's and goodness's sake.

 

 

It's cold tonight

 Not unbearable yet--but it will be.

I hate the cold.

And I hate the former President, who has decided to run in 2024.

I would almost root for him because he would be the most easy to beat by Biden or another Democrat.

Biden turns 80 this weekend. I'm not sure I think he should run again. I'm 5 years younger than him and I wouldn't be able to be the President.

Also, the most women governors ever were elected last week.

That's good news.

Warmth against the cold.

Anything to warm me up is welcome.

I hate the cold.

But you couldn't pay me to move south.

I love CT.

Except for the cold.

visit to the cancer doctor

 I went to my cancer doctor today.

I don't have cancer but several years ago my blood work showed I was producing what the prostate gland secretes and I had my prostate removed years ago!

So, I was referred to her.

She has a great presence in the exam room and she's an Episcopalian.

One doesn't come from the other....

For the first two years she gave me shots that brought the level down considerably.

But it's been two years since I got a shot and the level has stayed down.

She also apologized for the problems I had in the hospital and told me to let the hospital head know.

I have to think about that, but I'm leaning toward doing it.

She also told me that 2 years ago I weighed 207 pounds and today I weighted 170.

So my weight loss is real.

 

I'm not posting as much

And I don't know why.

I know I back off when not many are reading--but I shouldn't do that.

Only 350 views this month compared to 4500 last month.

But that shouldn't stop me.

Maybe it's the chill.

I hate the cold and wear too many clothes.

Maybe I'm lazy.

Good chance of that!

But I have a 'stay-cation' from now until November 27--10 whole days without driving to Milton.

And Mimi, Tim and Eleanor are coming for Thanksgiving.

Something to treasure and look forward to.

So, I'll try hard to write here more often.

I'm put off today since the former President (whose name, like Stephen Colbert, I won't write here) announced he's running again.

Alas and alack. 

I was hoping that all his endorsed candidates--or almost all--losing in the mid-term election would discourage him.

Looking at 2 years of campaigning by him depresses me.

But I'll try to overcome and write more here.

Be well and stay well, beloved.

 

I haven't posted since Wednesday

 Mostly because I've been following voting results and playing Hearts on-line and reading and sleeping.

Things got even better in the mid-terms.

Mark Kelly, the former astronaut was re-elected to the Senate from Arizona and that crazy woman, Keri Lake lost the governor's race. Two for two. Plus a Democrat won Attorney General (the one who oversees elections) against an election denier.

(Steven Colbert, who I watch on You tube since I don't stay up that late said that Kelly's opponent was an astronaut too--except for the tro and naut. You can figure that joke out.)

And gun-toting Boebert might lose in a deeply red House district in Colorado. Amazing.

Georgia will decide if the Democrats hold the Senate. So hold your breath.

And best  of all, perhaps, Fox news is going crazy and turning against the former President and blaming him for destroying a Red Wave.

All is well, my friends, all is well. And all manner of things will be well.

Thanks to women and young people for making it possible.

We owe you.

It wasn't as bad as it could have been

Republicans will take the House by a small margin but the Dems may hold onto the Senate.

No Red Wave, by any means.

The Biden mid-terms were better for the party in power than either Obama or Trump did.

Could have been worse.

A lot worse!

The race for my district's House seat is still up in the air.

Lord help us!

 

When I voted

 I went to vote just after 11. There was nowhere to park at the High School so I had to park at the Rec Center and walk up the hill.

There was 25 people ahead of me in my line and as many in the other line--determined by alphabetical order of the street where you live.

When I got my ballot, I had to wait a minute or so for an empty voting booth.

When I turned the ballot in (straight Democrat, as you might have guessed!) I asked if the crowd had been this big all day.

The woman at the machine gave me a I loved sticker and said, "Yes, since 6 a.m.!'

Bern voted earlier and told me it had been like that for her.

There was already a line when the poll opened.

People in my district really voted.

Hope you did too.

This week's sermon

 

There is good news and bad news in today’s lessons.

And the good news is ‘very good’ and the bad news is ‘very bad’.

        Let’s start with the good news.

        The reading from Isaiah, God promises to create “new heavens and a new earth”.

        We are told to “be glad and rejoice forever” about the new creation.

        And it does sound fabulous.

        No infant will die too soon and everyone will live to a ripe old age.

        Everyone will have a house to live in and fields to plant.

        There off-springs will be blessed.

        God will answer prayers before they are prayed.

        Even the wolf and the lamb will feed together and the lion will eat straw like the ox.

        Sounds pretty wonderful, don’t you think?

        And Canticle 9 continues the good news.

        God will save us and make us safe so we can trust in God and not be afraid.

        God is our ‘sure defense’.

        We will draw water from the springs of salvation and rejoice.

        We will sing praises to the Lord for his good things and ring out our joy.

        Thessalonians is not very joyous—not full of ‘good news’.

        We are commanded to “keep away from believers who are living in idleness and not according to the traditions they received”.

        “Anyone who is unwilling to work should not eat,” Paul warns them.

        But the news gets really dire when Jesus addresses those who are talking about the Temple.

        He predicts the destruction of the Temple and the coming of the End Days. “As for these things you see,” he tells them, “the days will come when not one stone is left upon another and all will be thrown down.”

        Then it gets worse.

        “When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately. Nations will rise against nations, and kingdom against kingdom, there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.”

        But it gets even worse and more personal.

        “But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you…because of my name.”

        In fact, he says, “you will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death.”

        Jesus is accurately describing what went on against the early church. His predictions were accurate.

        However, he ends with a promise: “But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls.”

        Pretty brutal stuff!

        And what are we, sitting here in Milton today, to make of all this?

        Well, we already know and know fair well that there is always good news and bad news.

        It’s the way life is.

        Many of the people in this nation were sorely disappointed by how the elections went last Tuesday.

But many were also pleased.

        Good news and bad news come together and, in fact, cohabitate in our world.

        What we must do is cling to the promise of God to bring a new heaven and a new earth. We must cling to the promise of Jesus that by endurance we will gain our souls.

        In a time of silence let us cling to God’s promise and Jesus’ promise in this time of good news and bad news.

(Amen and amen.)